Ecohydrological modeling of irrigation scheduling of maize using time series analysis in the temperate region of Kashmir valley, India

Water, one of the most crucial inputs of irrigation, should be utilized judiciously to identify appropriate strategies for planning and management of irrigated farmland. The present study was conducted for the crop maize (Zea mays), grown mainly in the rabi-season (July–October), to evaluate the irrigation water requirements in the temperate region of Kashmir Valley, India during the last 20 years from 1993 to 2012. The crop evapotranspiration values have been determined using the universally accepted Penman–Monteith method. The reference evapotranspiration varied by 93 mm, which accounts for variation of 20.12% for a temperature change of 1.61 °C. Net irrigation requirement of the crop is influenced greatly due to the possible effect of climate change, observed through varying temperature in different crop periods. The number of irrigations required in sandy loam soil is much more than the required number of irrigations in clay loam soil. The irrigation scheduling was analyzed using meteorological data through FAO-56 Penman–Monteith method as a guiding force for irrigation water management in order to save water and increase crop water use efficiency. The time series analysis reveals that maize crop in sandy loam and clay loam needs to be advanced by 5 days and 4 days in order to adapt for the climate change.